Deliberate Mistakes
by Wendy Blue
Summary: It didn’t look good at all: he was in a bar, alone with a beautiful woman, and tipsy. The missing scene before Nobody Needs to Know in The Last 5 Years.


**A/N: This is a creative project that Lilian Townsend and I decided to do at the same time. She just got her version done first. However I did borrow the character Max and Elise's profession from her. So many thanks to Molly and Caitlin.**

**Disclaimer: All belongs to JRB. **

"…So I said to him, 'What do I look like? A copy editor?'" The table of publishers and editors roared with laughter. Jamie rolled his eyes at the men in hysterics over a joke that, he figured, was only funny with the help of alcohol. A loud and crowded restaurant with only colleagues to talk to was the last place Jamie wanted to be. But with Cathy gone in Ohio, he had forced himself to get out and "live a little" as Max, his publisher, put it. He wondered what she was doing at that moment; it had been over a week since they had talked. Making his way over to a payphone near the restrooms, Jamie used his sudden longing to hear his wife's voice as an opportune way to remove himself from his present rambunctious company. After three rings, a disgruntled voice answered: "Hello?"

"Hi honey. How are you?"

"So it turns out I _do_ have a husband."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." He was trying desperately to mask the annoyance in his voice.

"Sorry to not be Miss Sunshine, but its been practically two weeks, Jamie, without a single phone call! What the hell have you been doing?"

"First of all, it's only been a week. Second of all, I've been working." Another uproar of laughter came from his table.

He could hear Cathy scoff. "Yeah sounds like you're working really hard. Look you called at a bad time; we're in the middle of a tech run. Call me tomorrow if you're not too busy," she paused. "Working." And before Jamie could manage to get another word out, a click and a dial tone cut him off.

He stared at the phone in amazement and disgust. _That's what I called for?_ A tap on the shoulder made him jump and spin around.

"You look like you could use one of these." Elise, Max's new assistant, handed him a beer.

"And _you_ read my mind." Jamie took a large swig of the cold drink, in hopes to erase Cathy's angry voice from his ringing ears. "Thank you."

"Hey, what are assistants for?'

"But you're not my assistant."

"Still, I'm here to help." Elise flashed a grin that made Jamie choke on his beer, coughing roughly.

She laughed. "You okay?" she asked as she patted her hand gently on his back.

"Yeah, I just learned how to drink yesterday, can you tell?" Jamie's voice was tight, partly from beer in his lungs and partly from Elise's hand not moving. He suddenly became aware that the group of colleagues he had accompanied to the downtown restaurant had dissipated, leaving just him and Elise.

She surveyed the room with him. "Looks like we got ditched."

"I wasn't in a social mood, anyway."

"Is that your nice way of telling me to leave you alone?" She started to leave her bar stool.

"No!" Jamie grabbed her arm a bit too eagerly. "I mean if you leave, then I'm just that lonely guy at a bar that everyone makes fun of."

"Well we wouldn't want that."

There passed a moment of awkward silence and a lack of eye contact. Jamie felt his head getting fuzzy as the beer began to kick in. It didn't look good at all: he was in a bar, alone with a beautiful woman, and tipsy. He used what little good judgment he had left to move from the counter.

"I actually should be getting back. Thanks for the company though."

"Don't you want to walk me home?"

_Yes._ "Oh, right, sorry I'm not thinking clearly."

"I'll have to keep an eye on you then," she said coyly, slipping her arm through his.

Jamie was surprised, and slightly unnerved, by how comfortable he felt with Elise. They strolled casually along the New York streets, finding detours to make their walk longer than necessary. She was smart, well read, and had an enthusiasm for life that Jamie found refreshing. There was an air of mystery about her that enticed him, and made it unbearable to leave when they reached her apartment door.

"So I'll guess I'll see you at work then," his voice dripping with disappointment.

"There's a manuscript Max asked me to read through. You want to come in a take a look at it?"

_God yes._ "I think that might not be such a good—"

"You know what your problem is?" Elise cut him off, putting a finger to his lips. "You think too much."

Jamie sprang awake, feeling as though he had awoken from a bad dream. His head throbbed as he squinted through the sunlight streaming through the windows, trying to regain his bearings. He reached over to his nightstand to find the alarm clock but found empty space instead. And then it began to sink in. His eyes panned slowly around the unfamiliar bedroom, articles of clothing scattered everywhere, the bed sheets tangled in disarray. _Oh God_. The stirring figure beside him put the missing pieces of the previous night into place. Elise's deep brown eyes blinked open, and at the sight of Jamie, her lips curled upward into a smile.

"Morning."

"Hey kid," he whispered, stroking her cheek. "Good morning."

Jamie couldn't help but stare as he watched her sit up, her long black hair cascading around her bare shoulders, the thin white bed sheet barely covering her front. Her sleepy eyes met his gaze. "What?"

"You're radiant."

Jamie felt shame creep in as she kissed him softly. He had become the man he never wanted to be in his marriage: the cheater. The one who rather than resolve problems finds solace in another woman's bed. Guilt took over his body, and he jumped quickly out of bed, scrambling to find his clothes. _Cathy, what have I done?_

"Hey, slow down. What's your hurry? The polite thing to do is stay for breakfast."

"Next week, I promise." He bent down and kissed her furrowed brow.

"Where are you off to?"

Jamie threw on his coat and paused before answering: "Ohio."


End file.
